Creative task: Visit a river
Rivers, due to the ecological disaster on the Oder that occurred in the summer of 2022, have recently become the protagonists of controversial media reports. Unfortunately, only for a moment, although environmental organizations have long been conducting campaigns to draw attention to issues such as river pollution. We often treat rivers as a natural part of the landscape—something that has always been and will always be, according to many. But is it really so certain? And if they remain, will they adorn or mar? Will they be home to a wealth of insects, fish, animals, or a graveyard of ecosystems? I invite you to reflect on your nearby river, stream, or even a brook. What do you know about it? As an incentive to think about your river a bit differently, let the memory of your childhood river be your guide. The author of the excerpt below is a “river worshiper.” Take your own cinematic stroll along your “ribbon of waters” and tell its story. Document nature, check on its well-being, as perhaps you haven’t visited it in a long time.
Link to the excerpt from “The Road-side Dog,” by Czesław Miłosz: https://whatwhileweslept.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/rivers/
https://ninateka.pl/vod/rozmowy/czeslaw-milosz-czciciel-rzek/